A resolution supporting the designation of October 2020 as "National Substance Abuse Prevention Month".

III 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. 763 Supporting the designation of October 2020 as ‘‘National Substance Abuse Prevention Month’’. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES OCTOBER 26 (legislative day, OCTOBER 19), 2020 Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mr. GRASSLEY) submitted the following reso- lution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions RESOLUTION Supporting the designation of October 2020 as ‘‘National Substance Abuse Prevention Month’’. Whereas initiation of substance use during adolescence is as- sociated with substance use and misuse in adulthood; Whereas, in 2019, more than 8,000,000 people in the United States aged 12 and older used a controlled substance for the first time; Whereas, in 2019, an estimated 35,000,000 people in the United States aged 12 and older used an illicit drug, in- cluding cocaine and methamphetamine; Whereas more than 20,000,000 people in the United States aged 12 and older had a substance use disorder in 2019, including more than 8,000,000 individuals who had an il- licit drug use disorder; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:58 Oct 27, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR763.IS SR763 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 763 IS Whereas, in 2019, an estimated 4,200,000 people in the United States aged 12 and older received some form of substance use disorder treatment; Whereas, in 2019, an estimated 72,000 lives in the United States were lost to largely preventable drug overdoses; Whereas illicit drug use and the misuse of prescription opioids costs the United States $271,500,000,000 annu- ally; Whereas Federal funding to prevent substance use and mis- use was cut by nearly 34 percent between fiscal years 2009 and 2020; Whereas every dollar invested in substance use and misuse prevention programs can provide a savings of up to $20 in substance use and misuse treatment, health care, and criminal justice costs; Whereas Congress has sought to expand access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services through passage of, among other measures, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 (Public Law 114–198; 130 Stat. 695); Whereas substance use and misuse prevention and treatment organizations in the United States recognize October as ‘‘National Substance Abuse Prevention Month’’; Whereas October 24, 2020, is the second anniversary of the enactment of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Pa- tients and Communities Act (Public Law 115–271; 132 Stat. 3894); and Whereas the ongoing COVID–19 pandemic has increased so- cial isolation for many people in the United States, which VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:58 Oct 27, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR763.IS SR763 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 763 IS can lead to a greater use and misuse of legal and illegal substances: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) supports effective programs to prevent sub- 2 stance use and misuse, including community-based 3 prevention programs such as the Drug-Free Commu- 4 nities Support Program; 5 (2) recognizes that certain substances are being 6 misused at higher rates among adults during the 7 COVID–19 pandemic, potentially due to the stress 8 and social isolation associated with the public health 9 emergency; 10 (3) supports additional research and expanded 11 access to effective programs to prevent substance 12 use and misuse during the COVID–19 pandemic; 13 (4) supports programs to help stem the drug 14 addiction and overdose epidemic in the United 15 States; and 16 (5) supports the designation of October 2020 as 17 ‘‘National Substance Abuse Prevention Month’’. 18 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:58 Oct 27, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR763.IS SR763 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS